Railway coupler mounting



June 29, 1948- J. c. TRAVILLA, JR, ETAL RAILWAY COUPLER MOUNTING FiledAug 29. 1946 FlGi.

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Patented June 29, 1948 RAILWAY COUPLER MOUNTING James C. Travilla,'Jr.,Swarthmore, Grenville E.

Jones. Lansdowne, and Robert E. Stein, Chester, Pa., assignors toGeneral Corporation, Granite City, 11].,

of Delaware Steel Castings a corporation Application August 29, 1946,Serial No. 693,604

.8 Claims. 1

The invention relates to supports for railway vehicle couplers and. moreparticularly, to the supportin of so -called tight-lock couplers whichin use, have the inter-engaging heads of the couplers on adjacent carssecured together so that the two couplers move as a unit and notrelative to each other as do ordinary couplers.

It will be understood that the adjacent ends of coupled vehicles haverelative vertical movement because of the difierent spring action intheir respective trucks. Also the adjacent vehicle ends may haverelative movement transversely of their longitudinal axes because ofplay between their respective truck bolsters, frames, journal boxes andwheel and axle assemblies due, largely. to track inequalities and tosuccessive stretches of curved and tangent tracks. Another relativemovement of the adjacent vehicle ends occurs when one vehicle tilts orrotates about a longitudinal axis in one direction and the adjacentvehicle tilts or rotates about 2. corresponding axis in the oppositedirection or to a less degree in the same direction.

The object of the present invention is to accommodate theabove-mentioned relative movements when tight-lock couplers areutilized.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating a selected embodiment of thisinvention:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the forward central part of alocomotive framing and pilot and is taken approximately on the line l-lof Figure 2 and shows a coupler with associated draft gear.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same structure takenapproximately on the line 22 of Figure 1; a portion of an adjacentcoupler being also indicated.

Figures 3 and 4 are vertical transverse detail sections taken on thecorresponding section lines of Figure 2. v

Figure 5 is an isometric view of some parts sectioned in Figures 2 and4.

The front end i of the locomotive framing mounts a pilot 2 recessed at 3to receive a counterbalanced drop coupler structure 4, including a head5 and a rigid shank 6. The locomotive framing includes sills I formounting a draft gear 8 including a yoke 9. The coupler shank 6 anddraft yoke 9 are connected by a link l0 bifurcated vertically at itsforward end to receive the coupler and bifurcated horizontally. at itsof the rear end to be received in pockets in the draft yoke. The link isprovided with a horizontal pivot II to the coupler shank and a verticalpivot I 2 to the yoke 9.

2 The forward portion of coupler shank 6 is slidably supported by a barl3 extending transversely of the locomotive and yieldingly sup- 13,thereby providing for easy application and removal of the bar.

Yoke 9 rests on a support I! secured to spaced draft sills 1. g

Link l0 connecting the coupler and draft gear is supported by a slidinguniversal joint structure comprising a block l8 connected by a pin l9,disposed longitudinally of the link and coupler, two

depending ears 20 on the link, the block being slidable along a rod 2|disposed transversely of the links and coupler structure with its endsre- C ceived in seats 22 slidable longitudinally of the locomotive alongguides 30 on the site sides of the coupler.

Coupler 4 may be shifted from the functioning position shown in fulllines in Figure 2 to the inactive position shown in broken lines by theremoval of bar l3. This is executed by turning the locking key 23 at theright hand end of the bar (Figure 3) to horizontal position andwithpilot at oppodrawing the bar by grasping its handle 24 at the lefthand end of the bar. The coupler may then swing on pivot I I so that thecoupler head no longer projects forward of the pilot. The bar l3 maythen be replaced in the pilot in a position above the coupler shank 6 toretain the coupler in lowered position.

With the coupler in operative position, as shown in full lines in Figure2, coupler 4, link In and draft yoke 9 may move as a unit longitudinallyof the locomotive toaccommodate draft and bufling forces, the partssliding on supports I3, 30 and i1, respectively. Coupler 4 and link Inmay swing as a unit horizontally about pivot l2 between the positionscorresponding to those shown in full lines and broken lines in Figure 1,the forward portion of the coupler shank sliding on bar l3, and block I8 under link l0 sliding on rod 2| and the latter, with its slides 22,shifting on guides 30 as may be necessary to accommodate the movement ofblock I 8 with link l0 radially about pivot l2.

Coupler I, link Ill and yoke 9 may tilt or rotate, as a unit about theaxis of pin l9, in which event shank 8 will tilt about one of its lowercorners resting on bar l3 and yoke 9 will tilt about one 01 its lowercorners resting on support li (see the broken line positions of theseparts in Figure 4). This tilting movement of elements I, I and 9 isfacilitated by the fact that the axis of pin I 9 and the yoke-engagingsurface of mm port I! are in substantially the same horizontal plane andby the fact that bar It may incline from the horizontal or may bedepressed bodily by downwardthrust from the coupler shank and theyieldingof one or both of springs I l.

Variations in the relative heights of the adjacent couplers may beaccommodated by inclination of the coupler shank about pivot II or bythe inclination of the shank and connecting link It about pivot l8,without requiring movement between the inter-engaged couplers.

Hence it will appear that the interlocked couplers on adjacent vehiclesmay move as a unit irrespective of relative movements of the two vehiclestructures on which they are mounted and such relative movements may belongitudinally, vertically or horizontally radially of the vehicles orangularly about a longitudinal axis.

The details of the above-described structure may be varied from thoseshown without departing from the spirit of the invention and theexclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of theclaims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. Mounting for a railway vehicle draft gear and coupler structurecomprising an elongated member extending transversely of the vehicle,and a universal joint device having a'portion arranged to be pivotallysecured to said structure and a portion slidable along said member.

2. In a support for a railway vehicle draft gear and coupler structure,a member having an aperture for a pivot pin adapted to be seated in thestructure, and having an aperture for an elongated support, the axes ofsaid apertures extending in transverse directions.

3. Mounting for a railway vehicle draft gear and coupler structurecomprising a block having an aperture arranged to accommodate a pivotpin extending horizontally longitudinally of the structure, and havingan aperture extending horizontally in a transverse direction, asupporting rod slidably received in the latter-mentioned aperture.

4. Mounting for a railway vehicle draft gear and coupler structurecomprising guides on the vehicle spaced transversely of the vehicle andextending longitudinally of the ehicle, seats slidable lengthwise 01'said guides, an elongated rod extending between and mounted in saidseats, a block pivotally and slidably mounted upon said rod, and abearing providing for pivoting of said structure on said block about anaxis extending longitudinally of the vehicle.

'5. Mounting for a railway vehicle draft gear and coupler structurecomprising guides on the vehicle spaced apart transversely of thevehicle and extending longitudinally of the vehicle; seats slidablelengthwise of said guides, an elongated rod extending between andmounted in said seats, a block pivotally and slidably mounted upon saidrod, a pin extending through said block transversely of said rod andstructure-carrying elements pivotally assembled with said pin.

" hicle from said bar, a block slidably and pivotally mounted on saidrod, a pin extending transversely of said rod and journaled in saidblock, and coupler structure-carrying elements journaled on said pin.

7. In a railway vehicle coupling structure, a coupler head and shank, avertically yielding carrier near the forward end of the structure, saidstructure being slidable horizontally on said carrier, and means spacedrearwardly of the coupier from said carrier and supporting saidstructure for tilting action about axes extending longitudinally andtransversely of said structure, said means providing for movement of theadjacent portion of said structure transversely of its axis.

8. In a railway vehicle coupling structure, a coupler head and shank, alink for connecting the coupler to a draft gear, a pin disposedlengthwise of the coupler and link, a member pivotally assembled withthe link by said pin, an element supporting said member and extendintransversely of the coupling structure and pivotally assembled withsaid-member, bearings slidably supporting the ends of said element, anda carrier spaced from said element longitudinally of the couplingstructure and yieldingly supporting said structure.

JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR. GRENVILLE E. JONES. ROBERT E. STEIN.

